Week 1: Set up the basics
- Write down your 3 numbers: orders per day, average order value, returning customers
- Complete your Google Maps profile: photos, hours, phone and menu link
- Review your menu: real photos, most profitable dishes at the top
A free guide for restaurant owners
A marketing plan for your restaurant: 10 practical ideas that bring customers in and back
You don't need a big ad budget to market your restaurant. This guide gathers practical ideas you can start today, arranged in a 30-day plan you can print and pin up in the kitchen.
- Start free
- Arabic and English
- Nothing for customers to download
- 1New customers find you
- 2Bigger orders
- 3Customers come back
Restaurant marketing plan
Before you start: know 3 numbers
Every plan starts from where you are now, so that later you can see what worked.
Orders per day
From the till, the delivery apps or even a notebook. Compare the days: which ones are slow?
Average order value
Total sales divided by the number of orders. Even a small rise adds up by the end of the month.
Returning customers
Ask “Is this your first order with us?”, or look for repeat phone numbers in your delivery orders.
Restaurant marketing plan
10 marketing ideas for restaurants
Each idea works on one of the three goals: new customers, bigger orders, or customers who come back.
Complete your Google Maps profile
Many people choose where to eat from the map. Add real photos of your food and your place, correct hours, a working phone number and your menu link.
Update your hours for holidays and Ramadan, so nobody finds you closed.
Learn more: Google Maps & reviewsAsk for reviews at the right moment
The best time to ask is when a customer tells you they enjoyed the food. Put a “Rate us” QR card on the tables and by the till, and reply calmly to every review, even the bad ones.
Never pay or give gifts for reviews, and never write your own: Google removes them and can penalise the profile.
Learn more: Google Maps & reviewsA menu with photos makes choosing easier
Customers order faster when they can see the dish. Use real photos and a short line of ingredients, and put your most profitable dishes at the top.
Change prices on a digital menu instead of printing a new one.
Learn more: QR code menuSuggest what completes the order
With a burger: fries and a drink for less than buying them separately. With coffee: a dessert. The right suggestion at the right moment grows the order without feeling pushy.
Offer 2 or 3 clear combos instead of a long list of deals.
Learn more: QR code menuA first-order offer with its own code
A simple first-order offer helps hesitant customers try you. Give each channel its own code (Facebook, Foodidu, flyers) so you know where every customer came from.
Write a clear end date and clear terms.
Learn more: Visibility on FoodiduA simple loyalty program
A stamp card (the tenth is free) or points on every order. What matters is a clear reward, and customers always seeing how close they are.
Pick a reward that costs you little and means a lot to customers, like a drink or a dessert.
Learn more: Loyalty programMake direct ordering easy
Delivery apps bring new customers, but every order pays a commission. Put a WhatsApp number or a direct ordering link on your bags and cards, so customers who like you order straight from you next time.
Give direct orders a small perk, like an extra sauce.
Learn more: Ordering website & appContent from inside your kitchen
A short video of your best-selling dish being made, the team during the rush, or a new dish coming out. People respond to real food more than to polished designs.
Shoot on your phone in daylight, and post regularly rather than a lot at once.
Offers for quiet times
Instead of a permanent discount that eats your profit, run offers only on slow days or hours, like weekday lunch or mid-afternoon. You fill empty time without losing money at busy hours.
Work with your neighbours
Nearby offices, universities and gyms are ready-made customers. Offer them a company lunch menu, or a discount for staff and students who show their card.
Restaurant marketing plan
A ready 30-day plan
Print it, or save it as a PDF from the print button, and tick each step off as you go.
Week 2: Grow every order
- Create 2 or 3 clear combos
- Train your team to suggest combos and extras
- Put “Rate us” cards on the tables and by the till
Week 3: Bring new customers
- A first-order offer with a different code per channel
- Post 3 short videos from your kitchen
- Talk to a nearby company, office or university
Week 4: Bring them back and measure
- Start a stamp card or points
- Put your direct ordering number on bags and cards
- Compare your numbers with week 1 and keep what worked
Restaurant marketing plan
Ready lines for your restaurant's posts
Change the dish, the code and the price, and use them in posts, stories and cards in the bag.
- Hot and fresh, from our kitchen to your door.
- Tried it once? You'll order it again. [Dish] is back!
- Lunch is ready. Order now and we'll handle the rest.
- Your tenth order is on us. Ask about our stamp card.
- First order? Use code [CODE] for [X]% off.
- Something for everyone in the family, on one menu.
- A free drink with any meal, today only.
- Tell us honestly what you think on Google. We read every word.
Foodidu Business
Ideas for your kind of place
Marketing tools for cafés in Egypt: a QR menu on every table, a stamp card that brings regulars back, Google Maps with real reviews, and your code on Foodidu.
Tools for cloud kitchens in Egypt: an ordering website and app under your name, loyalty for repeat orders, Google Maps without a public address, and a Foodidu code.
Foodidu Business
More free guides
How to design a professional restaurant or café menu: sections, photos, descriptions, pricing, print sizes, a printable planning sheet and a free digital menu.
Ready to grow your restaurant?
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Apply now FAQ
Questions, answered
How do I make a marketing plan for a restaurant?
Start with 3 numbers: orders per day, average order value and returning customers. Then pick ideas for the three goals (new customers, bigger orders, customers who come back), spread them over 4 weeks like the plan above, and compare your numbers at the end.
What are the best marketing ideas for a new restaurant?
A complete Google Maps profile, a menu with photos, a first-order offer with a code that tells you where each customer came from, and asking every happy customer for a review. None of these needs a big budget.
How do I market my restaurant on a small budget?
Focus on what is free or cheap: Google Maps, reviews, phone videos from your kitchen, a stamp card, and working with the offices and universities around you. Keep discounts for slow times only.
How do I know if my marketing is working?
Compare your 3 numbers before and after. And use a different code for each place you advertise, so you know where every customer came from.
Can I save the plan as a PDF?
Yes. Click “Print the plan or save it as PDF” and choose “Save as PDF” in the print window.